


Hanging the Moon and Stars

by B33skn33s



Category: Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (TV)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Post Series, all of the fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-06
Updated: 2019-07-06
Packaged: 2020-06-22 08:10:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,461
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19663300
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/B33skn33s/pseuds/B33skn33s
Summary: Post series Rebecca and Nathaniel try their hand at love.





	Hanging the Moon and Stars

**Author's Note:**

> So, as proud of Rebecca as I am with how the show ended because, no woman needs a man, am I right? I still wanted there to be a man and while I used to be all about some Grebecca (what is that ship called?) I woke up one morning suddenly a fan of Pompous Plimpton and now I’m hooked and had to write my own fluff. Inspiration came from too much time on my hands.

It’s the third time this morning she has been hit by a wave of morning sickness. She gets out of bed as quietly as she can as not to disturb the sleeping giant next to her. She pauses to admire his sleeping form, a small smile playing on his lips. She wishes she could watch him sleep a little longer but the bile rising in her throat has other plans. She makes it to the bathroom and lifts the lid just in time. She eases herself down onto the cool tile and decides to just stay here a while. She knows another round will come soon enough and she doesn’t want to disturb him. She must had dozed off because she’s jolted awake when she hears the door open. 

“Here, drink this.” Nathaniel extends a glass of water to her and she happily gulps it down. She sheepishly  downcasts her eyes. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you.” 

He takes the glass from her hand and sets it on the counter, covering the small distance between them , and taking a seat next to her. He  smoothes down her curls, tying them back at the nape of her neck with the designated hair tie that sits on top of the toilet for these occasions.

“Hey, don’t worry about me. There is nothing I love more than watching you expel your midnight bagel.” She makes a face  as he kisses the top of her head with a laugh, pulling away with a grimace of his own. 

“Okay, I get the hair tie thing now. Got a little of that bagel in your hair.”

It’s her turn to laugh. She thinks back to a time, not long ago, when something like that would mortify her. The old Rebecca would have made a  much bigger deal out of it, getting angry and running away. Now, though,  the  new Rebecca  that  never misses a session with Dr.  Akopian and still attends group when she knows she needs to be surrounded by others like her , is able to see the humor in her mortification . Not to say she isn’t thankful for everyone in her life, especially the man cramped beside her, rubbing sleep from his eyes and watching her with a  curious look on his face. A look she has seen countless times, but never  tires of , like she has hung the moon and the stars, and he doesn’t understand why she doesn’t take credit for it. 

It is hard to believe that three years ago, she stood on stage, facing a crowd anticipating her answer to, “who will she choose?” When she announced she was ready to love but the person she was choosing was herself, she scanned the crowd and saw three hurt faces.  With each scan of the crowd, her eyes fell on one face in particular. He could feel her stares and on her last scan, his eyes caught hers and she saw that look for the first time. She felt a tug in her heart, and it was as if the rest of the room disappeared. Her song came to an end and was met with a standing ovation, of which she paid no mind. She stood and made a beeline for the man giving her that look. She stopped in front of him, taking a moment to drink him in before speaking. A year in Guatemala does wonders for an already perfect body. He looked good, in a t-shirt and jeans, somehow, he looked more himself to her than he ever had before.

“Hi.” She fought back the urge to touch him, reminding herself to take it slow. 

“Hi. You were great up there.” He was beaming at her. She could feel her own cheeks getting warmer. 

“Thank you. I, um, you look…good. You look really good.” It was her turn to beam up at him. He felt his breath catch in his throat; it had been too long since they had been this close but there was still so much distance between them. 

She snapped back to reality, telling him that she had to make her rounds. She took note of the hint of disappointment on his face, but he quickly shook it off to agree. 

“Nathaniel?”

“Yeah?”

“Maybe later we can…talk? Catch up? I’ve…” She started to say she missed him, but there were four too many eyes focused on them and she finished with, “got to, you know…” 

“Of course. And, I’d love that. You know where to find me. And hey, you really were incredible up there, Rebecca.” 

She smiled in return and turned to acknowledge the rest of her guests. 

He stopped to catch up with  WhiJo for a bit before excusing himself and going back to his apartment, he didn’t want to admit he was waiting for her. 

It was half past eleven when he heard a light knock on his door. He must have fallen asleep because he jolted awake, even though the noise wasn’t even loud enough to wake a baby, he was  sitting eagerly on the edge of his seat.

He opened the door and there she was. She had exchanged her dress for sweats and washed off her makeup, her hair in a messy b un . Still, she saw that look. 

“Can I come in or are you going to make me do this in the hallway?”

He snapped out of his trance and moved to the side. “Sorry, come in. And do what?”

She made her way inside. Dropped her bag on the floor and unzipped her jacket. He didn’t know what to expect to see, knowing Rebecca she could be wearing nothing, or something equally enticing that turned him into put ty in her hands. He looked up and was surprised to see her still fully clothed. “Is that my Stanford t-shirt?” His mouth twitched into a confused smile , a warm sensation spreading through his stomach . 

“It’s you. It’s always been you. It never should have been anyone else but you. I lied tonight. The person I’m choosing to love, not choosing, it wasn’t a choice, no competition, no second guessing, it’s you. You’re my answer, that is, if you still want to be?”

He didn’t need to use words, he smiled and pulled her to him, kissing her for the first time since their last date one year ago, when he told her everything he needed to say. 

“Is that a yes?”

“That’s a hell yes.”

It wasn’t easy at first. Rebecca still had to be cautious, was still scared. They had their first big fight when he forgot to tell her he was working late, and of course, his phone died so she couldn’t get in touch with him. She spiraled. Yelling and sobbing, her mind racing, trying to bite back the accusations he was cheating or was going to  abandon her and failing miserably. He let her get it all out, holding her to him once she exhausted herself, kissing her with gentle reassurance that he wasn’t going anywhere. He spent the next morning on Amazon buying five more phone chargers and a book on her disorder. 

He learned when to argue and when to let it go, when to give in to her moods and when to help her out of them. He was patient with her when she couldn’t even be patient with herself. 

He decided, with her help, that he couldn’t work for his dad any longer. They spent weekends searching for office space for the firm he was going to open. To finally be on his own. One night, after work, he was driving down East Cameron when he came to an empty office space with a “For Lease” sign in the window. What caught his eye, was the bagel shop next door with a sign in the window stating, “Say goodbye to Bagel,  Schmagel : closing tomorrow.” 

He came home to find her asleep on the couch, ironically with a bagel in her lap. 

“Say goodbye to Bagel,  Schmagel and hello to  Rebetzel’s Pretzels!” 

She woke up laughing, “what are you talking about? And it’s just  Rebetzel’s otherwise it sounds like my name is  Rebetzel . People already assume that though. People are dumb. I was going for another  Spiders’ but no one ever understands my frustration with that place.” 

He places a small kiss on her lips to get her to stop talking, laughing as he does so. “Can I get back to my point please ?”

“Right, of course, you have my full attention.” 

She bent to pick her bagel off the floor, briefly inspected it, and took a bite. 

“I found a space.” 

“You did?! That’s great! But what is this about bagels and my place? Are you quitting law like me? I could change the name.  Hm , let’s see what I can come up with,  hm , nothing, are you willing to change your name for this endeavor? Or we could just start selling hot dogs!” 

“Would you let me finish? Wait, what do hot dogs have to do with my name?”

“That brand, Nathan’s. Nathaniel’s Nathan’s!”

“That’s not. You can’t. I don’t have a response to that, the car b s are going to your head. Don’t think I didn’t see you eat that bagel off the floor, by the way. Anyway, my point. God, you’re exhausting!” He was laughing, but quickly looked to her to make sure she knew he was joking. 

She smirked up at him, waving her arms in from of her, “yes, please, go on with your point!” 

“Okay, so I found an office. For law. But right next door to this office of law is a bagel place. A bagel place that is closing, tomorrow.” 

He trailed off, hoping she would pick up on what he was saying but he could see the gears grinding in that cute head of hers, but she wasn’t making the connection. 

“But what do bagels have to do with…OH.”

There she goes. 

“I mean, it’s up to you, I didn’t make any deals. But I figured, you know, if I’m not walking into the lobby everyday then what is even the point in being there?”

He’s happy she has the business, but he has to admit he misses when she was working a few feet apart from him and not several floors away. 

“My own shop? Right next door to you?”

He can’t read her tone. Maybe he made a mistake, and this is all too much too fast. It has only been six months since they got back together.

It’s her turn to watch the gears grind, but only for a minute, she recognizes the panic in his eyes he tries so hard to hide. 

“This is great! Yes, yes, I would love that. Let’s make a deal. Who do we call? Where do I sign? Where is it? Let me see.” 

They get in the car and head to the building. Rebecca gets out and starts taking pictures. 

“Do you mind if I steal your line? I have to tell everyone. Wait, but Paul a , her building. It was so close. She came to see me at lunch!” He was waiting for that. 

“Why don’t you give her a call and ask her how she feels about all this?” He tried not to smile, thinking back to his conversation with Paula, in which he made her promise to keep a secret until the right time. 

“Hmm. You’re being weird, but I will never turn down an order to call my mama bear.” 

She pushed the name at the top of her favorites  list, and it was answered on the first ring. 

“Paul a Proctor, Esq. of Plimpton, Proctor, and Associates, how may I help you?” 

Rebecca screamed. “What!? OH MY GOD! PAULA?? Really?!?” 

There was a laugh on the other end of the phone. “Hi Cookie, ready to be work neighbors?” 

“Paula, I love you, but there is a sequoia in front of me that needs to be climbed and I’m going to have to call you back.” 

“ Ew , honey, gross, didn’t need that image, but thank you. Goodnight.” 

Rebecca squealed and jumped into Nathaniel’s arms, kissing every exposed space she could find, “thank you, thank you, thank you.” 

They had come a long way in the six months following that night. It just seemed easier to make the commute together every day, plus she hadn’t been to her apartment in weeks, so they decided to move in together. AJ spent a lot of time looking for a roommate that would be willing to keep up the deal of him only paying $80 a month, but that seemed hard-pressed. Settling on George, who also made the suggestion they commute to their respective jobs together, but AJ had to draw the line somewhere. Nathaniel wasn’t sure how he let Rebecca talk him into bringing George to the new firm, but somehow, she had. 

“He’s like weirdly your best friend, that you hate, and pay. You do pay him, right? I’m never sure where we are with his firing and rehiring.” 

Nathaniel made a face composed of annoyance and deep thought, he could at least have fun asking him to work for him. George left Nathaniel’s office that day pumping his fist and shouting something about it being, “George’s turn.” 

Another six months went by and both businesses were ready to open their doors. The legal battle Nathaniel III went through with Nathaniel II to get him to finally agree to the cash out took the same amount of time as turning a former bagel shop into a pretzel shop. Somehow, both places were ready to open on the same day. Rebecca tried hard not to obsess over how perfect everything in her life seemed to be going. She had her friends, her business, a man who  loved her; for the first time in a long time, she didn’t need to chase happiness, it fell right into her lap. 

A year down the line, both businesses were doing exceptionally well.  Rebetzel’s , partially, because every client that came into Plimpton, Proctor, & Associates was given complimentary samples of, “delicious gourmet pretzels, made fresh next door!” Nine times out of ten it was Rebecca herself bringing them over and she charmed them into going and getting a full-sized one, “for the road.” 

One morning, a few months before celebrating both businesses making it to the two-year mark, Nathaniel watched Rebecca from the doorway of the bathroom while she put the finishing touches on her makeup. 

“Stop being weird,” she told him between blotting her lipstick. She couldn’t see him out of the corner of her eye anymore but didn’t hear him walk away. She turned around and there he was, on one knee, with a velvet box outstretched towards her. He opened it and she gasped. It was the most beautiful ring she had ever seen. Small and simple. A round diamond with what looked like stars glittered around it. He looked at her like she hung the moon and stars and now he was giving her her own moon and stars to hold onto. 

“Rebecca Nora Bunch, you are the love of my life. Five years ago, when you attacked your new boss like a flying squirrel, I never would have imagined it would lead to this. I never thought I wanted this life, but you opened my eyes to it and now I never w ant to know a life without you in it . You have turned me into the person I am today, and I can never thank you enough for it. I want to give you everything in this world you deserve and more. I want  to be by your side for the rest of our lives . Rebecca, will you marry me?” 

All the hard work she put into her makeup this morning was instantly for nothing. Mascara was smeared down both cheeks, but it didn’t matter. She let out the breath she was holding and kneeled down in front of him, grabbing his face between both of her hands and peppering it with kisses. Each accompanied with an enthusiastic “yes!” 

He slipped the ring on her finger and went to kiss her again, but she put her hand on his chest, quickly turned around and threw up. Making it to the toilet just in time. 

“Well, that was  not the reaction I was expecting, but are you okay?” 

“Yeah, yeah I’m fine, just nerves I guess.” 

Her phone dinged from the counter and she pulled it down to see a text from Paula, “Hey Cookie, happy Tuesday to us! The Red Scare has reared its ugly head, s hould be a fun one!” 

Rebecca’s hand immediately went to her stomach. Uh-oh. 

She pulled up her trusty app which greeted her with a chime and confetti, the words, “Happy Period Day” flashing across the screen.

“Uh-oh.” 

She turned the phone around to show Nathaniel, who briefly went white. Well, the two weren’t cut out for conventional. 

“Uh-oh.” He repeated her sentiment. “Well, at least I proposed  before the strip turned pink, right?” 

They both laughed. They weren’t teenagers. They both had steady jobs, a home, and were in a great place. She still didn’t know how to handle something seemingly going right. 

“Speaking of strips turning pink, I should probably take a test before we fall down this rabbit hole.” She thinks back to her last pregnancy scare, with Josh, and shudders at the thought. She’s not that girl anymore. She’s with someone who makes her happy. Who just the other day  said he couldn’t wait to have kids with her, though they were talking much further down the line, their relationship was never one to follow the  rules.

He kissed the top of her head and said he would be back in ten minutes with a test. 

She used the time he was gone to facetime the girl group. Instead of her face, all she held up to the camera was her ring, placed directly over her pool of vomit. She heard the screams of everyone, both excited and disgusted, and then showed her face. 

“ Helllllooooo ladies! I am ENGAGED!” 

“Dude, why am I looking at a toilet full of your midnight bagels?”

“Yeah, Rebecca, I love you and I am happy for you but what kind of sick joke is this?” 

“COOKIE!?” 

She explained what was going on to them, telling them that Nathaniel went out to get a test so don’t start thinking of baby names just yet. She heard the front door open and turned the camera towards the entrance to the bathroom, knowing her best friends would want to congratulate him on, well, she hoped the engagement but they all just called him daddy and she saw him blush and quickly said, “bye ladies, if you don’t hear from me, I’ve probably been murdered by my fiancé, because  ooo boy does he look like a sour puss, probably from my oversharing. Hello, honey, you know me.” 

He laughed, said hello and goodbye to the three women on the  screen  and took the phone out of Rebecca’s hands and replaced it with a pregnancy test. 

“I love you and I am happy to be marrying you and I know I’m not supposed to hide anything from you, but you  gotta vamoose because I will not be peeing on a stick in front of you.” 

He grimaced and laughed, kissing the top of her head, “thanks for the visual, weirdo.” 

He stepped out and shut the door. A minute later it opened again.

“Three minutes. Set a timer for three minutes.”

She looked scared. They had briefly talked about having kids on a few occasions. Each time she said she wasn’t sure she was ready to be a mom. Afraid she would screw it up, afraid she would be like her own mother. Fears he shared, his being not wanting to turn out like his namesakes. He reassured her every time that she would be a great mom, he knew she would. And she reassured him of how great a father he would be. “Think of all the trips to the zoo!” She enthusiastically pointed out during one of these discussions. But kids weren’t supposed to happen for a while. Again, nothing about their life was conventional, why should a baby be any different? 

They sat on the edge of the bed, his arm around her, drawing small circles across her shoulder blades. The ringing alarm brought both of them out of their reverie. He took her hand in his and they walked into the bathroom together. She picked up the stick but shoved it into his hands, “I can’t look, you do it.” 

He looked down, a grin fighting to appear on that perfectly sculpted face of his. 

“Looks like Paula isn’t going to be the only Mama Bear in your lady squad.”

“It’s  Gurl Group. Wait, does that mean?”

“The strip is pink, sunshine!”

He held it out to her, she was about to take it in her hands when another wave of morning sickness hit. 

“I think everyone is going to have to handle business by themselves today. Time for us to head to the doctor.” 

He grabbed a washcloth from the linen closet and cleaned off the makeup and small beads of sweat appearing on her forehead. Giving her a few moments to herself, he stepped out to call  George and explain what was going on and to ask if he could pass the message to AJ. 

“Sure thing, boss! How did she like the ring? I’m glad we went with…” 

“Don’t make me fire you today, George.” Nathaniel hung up the phone with a laugh. Next call was to the doctor. 

She was the one to stand in the doorway watching him ,  after she had taken her time composing herself. His back was to her, but she could hear the smile still plastered on his face as he spoke with the receptionist. 

“Hi, my name is Nathaniel Plimpton I needed to make an appointment for my fiancé, Rebecca Bunch. Preferably as soon as possible, the strip is pink!” His voice went up an octave. The Nathaniel of five years ago would use every ounce of willpower he had to hide any emotion in his voice. The Nathaniel of today, however, was never afraid to show it, at least not around Rebecca, at the office he still had his moments. She watched him lift his other hand to wipe at his face, he must have felt her eyes on him because he turned around, still beaming at her, but now he had tears pooling in his eyes. He walked over and put his arm around her, the receptionist coming back on the line to tell him the doctor could seem them in half an hour. 

At the doctor’s office, she never let go of his hand. They walked back into the room together, he sat beside her on the table she was lying on, still holding onto her hand. The ultrasound tech watched them with a smile as she placed the wand on  Rebecca’s belly, it was always a pleasant surprise when couples came in together and their happiness r adiating off each other . Staring at the small black-and-white screen, Rebecca and Nathaniel held their breath. At first, the room was silent, then suddenly it was filled with the faintest noise. 

Bump, bump, bump  bump .

“That’s your baby’s heartbeat.” 

Suddenly, it was real. They  simultaneously let out a breath . Nathaniel took Rebecca’s face into his hands and looked into her beautiful blue eyes, tears streaming down both their faces. “How do you feel?” 

The tech excused herself, knowing this was a moment that didn’t need an audience. 

“I feel…safe. And happy. And scared. But not scared for the reasons we’ve talked about. I’m scared for our little soybean. Scared because I’m sure it’s not normal to feel your heart grow in size but that’s what just happened. My heart was so full, because I had you, I didn’t think there could be any more room left in there. But then, I heard that tiny heartbeat coming from a tiny bean made from our chromosomes and I felt my own heart grow and fill right back up with love for not just one Plimpton, but two.”

He never took his eyes off her, going in to kiss away her tears but just mixing them with his own. 

“Are you ready to do this?” 

“With you by my side, I’m ready for anything.” She gave his hand a squeeze. 

After the doctor he took her to an emergency session with Dr.  Akopian . He believed her when she said she was ready, but he knew she needed to consult with Dr.  Akopian about two major life changes occurring in one day. He waited in his car for her. It wasn’t long before she came bouncing out, looking even more radiant in the bright sunlight. 

“ Akopes says congratulations and also to please call her if you ever have questions about my crazy. Because growing a tiny little human in me is sure to be a challenge. But I meant what I said before, I’m ready for it if you are?”

And now, here they were, two months later, on their bathroom floor, both holding their  hands on Rebecca’s stomach. 

“Hey little Peach, while I appreciate you already being on my side about the midnight bagels thing, can we let mom get some sleep? We’ve got a big move tomorrow and even though she won’t be lifting a finger,” at this Nathaniel looked sternly at Rebecca as a reminder, “ I would like her to be well rested so she can boss the movers around.”

They immediately began searching for a bigger place the second they left Dr.  Akopian’s . Being a real estate lawyer, and a Plimpton, had its perks and they quickly found a house, conveniently close to Paula’s, which Nathaniel was positive was not just by coincidence. 

Rebecca couldn’t believe the life she was living. Six years ago, when she was working hard at her New York job, making dough but feeling blue, she never would have guessed this is how her life would turn out. 

It was her turn to look at the man next to her like he hung the moon and stars. The tile was uncomfortable, but they didn’t care. Rebecca laid her head in Nathaniel’s lap and he stroked her hair until she fell back to sleep. He effortlessly carried her back to their bed, kissing her forehead and her belly before heading to the kitchen to prepare her a bagel for when she woke up. 


End file.
